


The Dark Rise, The Dark Fall

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Auror Poe, Force-Sensitive Finn, Gen, Minister of Magic Leia Organa, Non-Graphic Violence, The First Order are basically wannabe Death Eaters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 05:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7922884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The First Order are steadily spreading terror throughout the wizarding world, killing muggles for sport and spouting purist rhetoric.  Kylo Ren, strong with the Force but gripped by the Dark Side, is intent on ridding himself of any potential threats- namely, other Force Users.  Luke Skywalker has gone into hiding, but he is the only one who can stop the Sith.</p><p>A group of people are thrust together, colliding from various sides of the war, all with a common goal.  They will learn about each other, and new things about themselves along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dark Rise, The Dark Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The First Order intercepts an important transaction, the Auror gets kidnapped, the Stormtrooper defects.

It was just past eleven at night when Poe apparated to the small, muggle city of Jakku. He had BB-8 on his arm, the white owl sitting still and quiet as they walked through the near empty streets, approaching a non-descript house on the corner.

Upon arriving in front of the door, Poe drew out his wand and tapped on the lock of the door, sparks flying from the tip as he did so. Moments later, after tapping out an intricate sequence, the front door swung open, and the Auror stepped in.

“Ah, Poe,” an elderly man stepped into the dusty hallway, squinting at the man in front of him. “Come.”

Poe did as he was instructed, slipping his wand into his pocket and stroking BB-8 on the head as he followed the man into what appeared to be the living room, illuminated by candle light and brimming with stacks of old newspaper and parchment.

“Thank you, Lor,” Poe said, allowing BB-8 to leave his arm and settle on the perch in the corner of the room.

“Sit, sit,” Lor said, distracted, rummaging through piles of parchment, the sheets yellow and faded.

Poe, once again, followed the order, tugging at his robes and opening them in the hot room. He donned muggle clothes underneath, a pair of comfortable jeans and a short sleeved top in the summer heat. 

“Here,” the old man said finally, pulling out a tightly folded piece of parchment and turning back to the younger man. Lor held out the parchment, and Poe’s chest constricted as he reached for it. BB-8 hooted quietly as she watched the exchange, blinking round, orange eyes before turning away again.

“Thank you,” Poe said sincerely. “This- this is it. The Minister will be so grateful.”

Lor nodded. “I’m glad to have been some help. Now go, quickly. Get that to Organa.”

“Yes, sir,” Poe said, a small grin on his face. He clutched the parchment tightly in his hand and held out his arm for BB-8 to rest upon once more. The owl complied, turned her head to watch Lor as they departed, the final piece of the map to Luke Skywalker secure. 

Lor took out his own wand as they reached the front door again, tapping a different pattern onto the lock before it swung open to the humid night once more.

“Thank you, again,” Poe said as he stepped onto the pavement, a light breeze causing his robes to flutter around his feet.

“Go!” Lor urged, waving his hand at the Auror, who grinned and offered a salute before gripping his wand and preparing to apparate.

It didn’t work.

“What the hell…?” Poe cursed under his breath, attempting the apparate once more, and failing again.

“What’s going on?” Lor asked, face stricken.

“I don’t know…” Poe responded, looking at BB-8, who seemed to look as worried as he felt.

 _Crack! Crack!_

The first two sounds were followed by what sounded like at least a hundred more, and Poe spun around to a sea of Stormtroopers standing before him, wands raised to the height of their chests.

Instantly, Poe whipped his wand out, flicking it to a lamp post and causing it to fall, landing atop the dark wizards. As they were distracted, he pulled out the parchment and pushed it into BB-8’s mouth, lifting his arm and whispering, “Take it to the Minister. Now!”

The owl complied, spreading her large wings and taking off as spells began to fly through the air, illuminating the dark night. 

Behind him, Lor had taken out his own wand and was attempting to fight off the dozens of Stormtroopers in front of them, white masks stark against their billowing black robes.

Poe followed the man’s lead, throwing stunning spells and disarming charms at the dark wizards, somehow dodging their own spells. 

“Where did the owl go?” A low voice demanded, and a tall figure stepped forward from the throng of Stormtroopers. His black mask instantly distinguishing him from his followers.

Unthinkingly, Poe raised his wand and shot another stunning spell, straight at the man’s head, somehow convincing himself that he would, in fact, be able to hit him.

The man in black almost seemed smug, even without his face in view, as he raised a hand, stopping the jet of Poe’s spell as it approached him, leaving the red bolt hanging midair. Just as quickly as he had stopped Poe’s spell, he stopped the man himself, and the Auror was left without control of his body, struggling against invisible restraints and looking wildly around at the street.

Another Stormtrooper, this one in silvery robes who stood almost as tall as the leader, asked, “Ren, what should we do with the muggles?”

Kylo Ren, tilted his head slightly and responded, “Kill them.”

Poe’s eyes continued to dart around wildly, the only part of his body he had any control of, and he watched in distress as the Stormtroopers blasted down the doors of muggle houses, the sounds of screams meeting his ears moments later.

Lor shifted in his position at his door, looking defiant, and Kylo Ren didn’t hesitate for a moment as he pulled his wand out of his pocket and uttered, “Avada Kedavra.”

The flash of green was so bright that Poe wished he could close his eyes, his heart thudding erratically in his chest as Lor fell to the ground, eyes glazed and unfocused.

“Ren?” The Stormtrooper in silver asked again, wand gripped tightly in gloved hand. “We should go back.”

“You’re right, Phasma,” Ren nodded, lifting the hand that was holding Poe in place and dragging the man forward. He snatched Poe’s wand from his fist and handed it to Phasma wordlessly before forcing the man to his knees. 

Poe felt himself relax as Ren’s hold on his relaxed, allowing him to slump and breathe in deeply. He was free, but only for a moment as Ren looked down at him expectantly, Stormtroopers filling the street once more as they returned from their massacre.

“So who talks first? Do I talk first?” Poe asked, unable to stop himself from snarking in front of the man who was killing muggles for fun, who believed himself a better leader than Minister Organa herself and was doing all in his power to overthrow her.

Ren ignored his words, electing to ask instead, “Where did you send the owl?”

Poe shrugged. “I can’t remember.”

Ren’s mask seemed to darken and he reached forward, snatching at Poe’s robes and shouting, “Back to base, now! It seems I’m going to need to have some words with the Auror.”

Without a pause, Ren was disapparating from the area, and Poe was forced into the discomfort of side-along apparition, mixed with the fear that was twisting in his gut at being taken to the base of The First Order.

*

FN-2187 took off his mask as soon as he arrived in The First Order’s base, hands shaking and sweat trickling down his back.

The sight of the Auror being led by his comrades to the Ren’s ‘interrogation’ chamber made his stomach churn, especially following his first attempt to murder unarmed muggles in their homes. It was different to practice; FN-2187 almost shared their fear before they died, and he felt a hollowness as the life left their bodies.

He couldn’t follow suit. Ren knew it- he had looked directly at FN-2187 after the Stormtroopers returned to the street, and he knew that he would be in trouble if Ren remembered him by the time he was done interrogating the Auror.

“FN-2187.”

He turned to see Captain Phasma standing behind him, towering over him. “You were not given permission to remove your mask.”

“Yes, I- Sorry, Captain,” FN-2187 said, and he quickly put his mask back on, face sticky beneath it.

“Get back to your station, now.”

“Yes, Captain,” FN-2187 replied, and he walked out of the alcove he was standing in, ready to make his way downstairs to gather his sanitation products.

He walked past other Stormtroopers, already engaged in their jobs around the massive base in which they operated, all of them ignoring each other in preference of focusing on their roles.

FN-2187 walked quickly, hand in the pocket of his robes as he descended the stairs, going further and further into the belly of the base until he reached his own station.

It was as he walked past Kylo Ren’s ‘interrogation’ room that the man himself emerged, sweeping robes brushing past the Stormtrooper without a second look.

The door was open.

FN-2187 didn’t allow himself time to think, lest he change his mind, and he walked into the room where the Auror was sitting, strapped to a chair. His head was lolling onto his chest, blood staining his temple and sticking his dark curls to his face.

He pulled his wand out of his pocket and muttered, “ _Diffindo_.”

The ropes that tied the Auror to the chair fell apart, and he raised his head drowsily, eyes locking on the mask that FN-2187 was wearing.

“What do you want?” The Auror asked, the slightest of smiles on his face, before it was replaced with a grimace.

“I’m, uh, breaking you out of here,” FN-2187 said, feigning confidence, and he once more removed his mask. The man’s eyes widened as he looked over FN-2187’s face, and the Stormtrooper felt as though he was being assessed.

“Breaking me out of here?” The Auror repeated, standing up hesitantly and stumbling. FN-2187 reached out his hands and caught him, steadying the man before saying:

“Yes. Can- how are you on a broom?” He asked, looking at the Auror intently.

“I can fly anything.” The Auror responded with a smirk, and FN-2187 grinned back.

“Let’s break out of here.”

*

They walked through the base, FN-2187 with his mask back on and wand pressed clearly against the Auror’s neck, to the room full of various transportation means. Most of them required permission from a higher-up, save for the brooms, all chained to the wall.

“ _Alohomora_ ,” FN-2187 muttered, twice, once to unlock one of the brooms and another time to release Poe’s hands.

“Okay, let’s go,” Poe said, taking the broom and swinging his leg over, settling on top. After a brief pause, FN-2187 climbed on behind him, securing one arm around his waist and pulling out his wand with the other.

“We’ll have to go back through the front entrance,” FN-2187 instructed, arm tightening around the Auror as he kicked off and instantly began to fly, speeding up from the room they were in and following FN-2187’s directions.

As they made their way through the halls of the base, Stormtroopers looked up, yelling as the prisoner escaped with a Stormtrooper behind him on a broom.

Spells flew through the air, green jets of light dancing around their heads as the Auror continued to lead them through the base, dodging curses from people who, up until moments again, FN-2187 had been working alongside.

The Stormtrooper (ex-Stormtrooper?) turned his torso and began to fire spells back, stunning as many people as he could as they soared through the sky. 

The journey passed in a blur, the Auror leading them with grace through the base, until they reached the still open door; they passed through with ease and sailed into the night sky, flying amongst the stars.

FN-2187 pulled the white mask off his face once again, looking down at the black eyes that had covered his own for so long, and tossed it to the ground, not bothering to watch its descent.

“Oh my God…” FN-2187 muttered, watching the building that he had spent most of his life in growing smaller; as they passed through the protective charms the building transformed before his eyes from the massive, modern building to a derelict muggle warehouse, standing lonely and abandoned.

“We homefree?” The Auror asked, the wind whipping his hair around his face.

“Nuh uh,” FN-2187 said, as brooms emerged from the base, black robes flying through the wind and spells, once more, aiming for them. He continued to fire spells at the people pursuing them, unwilling to use Unforgivable Curses even though they were being fired at him, but with such a large swarm of Stormtroopers on their heels, FN-2187 was struggling.

“Can’t you go any faster?!” FN-2187 shouted over the whistling of the wind in his ears. 

“I’m trying, but this is an older model!” The Auror replied. “If we had-”

The response was cut off as FN-2187 cast a spell, blocking the Stormtrooper’s pursuing them with a large explosion, suspended in mid-air. Their broom careered off-course for a few moments before the Auror steadied it.

“Did you see that?!” FN-2187 exclaimed, elated. “Did you _see_ that?!”

“Yeah, I saw it!” The Auror said, equally excited. “Hey, what’s your name?”

They continued to fly, less erratic, less desperate, and FN-2187 relaxed.

“FN-2187.”

“FN- what?”

“It’s the only name they ever gave me,” FN-2187 said, shrugging. He knew it wasn’t normal to have a serial number instead of a name. Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, General Hux… It seemed the more important you were, the nicer a title you received.

“Well, I ain’t using it. FN, huh? How about Finn?”

The name sat well with FN-2187 and he nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I like that. What- what about you?”

“I’m Poe. Poe Dameron.”

“Good to meet you, Poe,” Finn said, shifting position on the broom.

“Good to meet you too, Finn,” Poe said, and he turned back to grin at the man behind him. “We’re close to Jakku. There’s a wizarding town near the centre we can stop by- hey. You might want to change out of that Stormtrooper robe,” Poe pointed out, gesturing at the symbols that decorated the black robes that Finn wore.

“Uh, yeah,” Finn responded, and he awkwardly leant back to shuck off the robes he was wearing, dropping them too and watching them plummet to the ground.

“Here; hold this,” Poe said, and he took his hands off the broom, slipping off his own robe and bundling it into Finn’s hands before holding onto the broom once more.

“Um… Okay,” Finn nodded. 

“So… What house were you in?” Poe asked after a lull of silence.

Finn frowned and shook his head. “What do you mean?”

“At Hogwarts? You know: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin? I was a Gryffindor myself.”

“I didn’t go to Hogwarts,” Finn said quietly. “I was taken by The First Order when I was three, I think.”

“Holy shit. I’m sorry, Finn,” Poe said, tilting the broom as they travelled and glancing over his shoulder quickly to make sure that Finn was all right.

“It’s okay,” Finn said. “Um, I’ve gotten over it.”

 

“Well, I don’t think you’d be a Hufflepuff, that’s for sure,” Poe laughed, and Finn copied him, unsure of what to say.

“Why?”

“Well, that’s the house that values loyalty over all else and… Well...” Poe trailed off, contemplative for a moment, before saying, “Oh, shit! Sorry, again.” He chuckled, but it sounded apologetic and so Finn waved him off.

“What house do you think I would be in?” Finn tried.

“Oh, I think you’d be a Gryffindor, like me! We value bravery- you’re obviously that,” Poe said, so casual, but Finn felt his chest swell.

They flew for another half an hour at least, travelling at a languid pace, and Poe told Finn stories of his days at Hogwarts, speaking excitedly about being on the Quidditch team (which he had captained from his fifth to seventh year) and how he’d abandoned the chance to play professionally to become an Auror as The First Order began to rise.

“Here we are,” Poe announced finally, lowering the broom and descending on a small town.

It was quaint, the cobbled roads illuminated by flamed streetlights, small old-fashioned shops standing on either side. 

Poe touched down onto the road, and Finn began to swing his leg off the broom, but was stopped as a large explosion threw him from the broom.

The blast was was loud that Finn’s ears were ringing, and his body ached as he stood up, eyes shooting to the area where he had landed with Poe. He had been thrown across the street, and he winced as he tried to take a step forward- his ankle was bent awkwardly.

Still, he hobbled back to where the broom had landed, looking desperately for Poe. There was no collateral damage, none of the shops had been so much as singed; it was as though the blast had been contained to the area they had touched down.

Finn inspected the charred remains of their broom, but Poe wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Panicked, but also aware that the blast will have contacted some sort of organisation (be they the Ministry or The First Order) Finn understood that he had to leave.

“ _Episkey_ ,” Finn said, holding his wand against his ankle and holding back a pained yelp as the bone set again. He knew he hadn’t done the best job, but it was all he could do with what he had.

Finn looked down at the dark orange robes that he’d managed to keep hold of, bundled in his hands. There was a small golden ‘M’ emblazoned close to where his heart was, and Finn swallowed as he pulled them over his head.

They were too short, and too tight around the chest for Finn to fasten them, but they felt well-worn, and hopefully would serve as some sort of protection for Finn as he made his way through an unknown city with only his wand and a new name, given to him by a lost friend.

Ready to attempt to start a new life, with one final glance to the space behind him, Finn began to walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea wouldn't go away until I wrote it. It's going to follow the plot of The Force Awakens for the first couple of chapters, but then it'll probably diverge a little.
> 
> Thank you for reading :)


End file.
